1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved front-wheel suspension for motor vehicles, in particular, buses.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The invention relates to an improved front-wheel suspension which is of the type whereby the suspension of each front wheel includes at least one upper and at least one lower suspension arm; in between said suspension arms, a connection piece, whereby said connection piece is also fixed to the wheel axle of the corresponding front wheel, thereby showing an almost vertical axis of rotation; an air bellows; and a hydraulic shock absorber.
In front-wheel suspensions of the type mentioned in the aforegoing, it is common practice to provide the air bellows between the wheels of the bus and to mount the hydraulic shock absorbers underneath of and adjacent to the air bellows.
This known arrangement of the air bellows and the hydraulic shock absorbers, however, shows the disadvantage that the free space in between is narrow, in consideration of the fact that, apart from the thickness of the wheel, the width of the air bellows and the space taken up by the hydraulic shock absorbers, also in between each front wheel and the air bellows mounted adjacent thereto, sufficient space must be present for enabling a turning of said front wheel.
In the first place, this is an important disadvantage with low-floored buses, where the floor is situated immediately above the steering transmission, in other words, between the hydraulic shock absorbers, and where the width of the aisle consequently is limited to said free space in between said shock absorbers.
The present invention thus also aims at preventing the aforementioned and other disadvantages by providing an improved front-wheel suspension for motor vehicles, in particular buses, which suspension allows for more space in between the air bellows and, consequently, also in between the hydraulic shock absorbers, as a result of which the floor can be realized in such a manner that the aisle or such in the bus becomes considerably wider than this is the case with the classic suspension.
To this aim, the invention relates to an improved front-wheel suspension, whereby the suspension for each wheel substantially consists of at least one upper and at least one lower suspension arm; in between said suspension arms, a connection piece which can be pivoted along an almost vertical axis, whereby said connection piece also is connected to the wheel axle of the corresponding front wheel; an air bellows; and an hydraulic shock absorber, whereby said air bellows is provided above the front wheel.
Preferably, said connection piece between the air bellows and the wheel axle consists of a bent rod extending around the tire of the respective wheel, whereby one extremity of the rod is rotatably connected to the air bellows and an upper suspension arm, whereas the other extremity extends beyond said wheel axle and is connected to a lower suspension arm.
This configuration provides for the additional advantage that the static forces in the suspension arms are reduced drastically, whereas at the same time the dynamic forces created in the suspension arms during braking and in curves are strongly reduced.
As a consequence of the reduced tensions in the suspension arms, it then is possible to use less heavy-weight materials, as a result of which the empty weight of the vehicle is influenced in a positive manner.